Batman: The Beginning
by will.i.am.skake.sphere
Summary: Gotham City is in the hands of criminals, and there will be only one thing standing in their way. The Batman. Armed with the Armor Belt, a belt that creates special armor around the user with the Code Disk, containing information and the schematics of Batman's suit and equipment.
1. Prelude

**A/N: This is a fanfic version, a different version of the Batman story, so of course you should expect big or small changes in the main characters. **

**If your favorite characters aren't in this arc, expect them in the next one. **

* * *

**Prelude**

"I see a beautiful city and brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

"Decent people shouldn't live here. They'd be happier someplace else."

"It's the kind of town that whispers "baby" while it's picking your pockets, that promises the world and delivers the gutter, or vice versa, and puts out your lights with a kiss, or a bullet, then forgets your name before dawn."

"My view is, when it comes to Gotham, you don't know it, brother. It knows you. And the moment you think otherwise, the moment you get too comfortable...that's when it stabs you right in the [b]back]/b]. Because above everything, Gotham is...a mystery."

"Gotham is damned. Gotham is cursed. Gotham is bedlam. Gotham is murderous. Gotham is villainous. Gotham is a losing game. Gotham is hopeless. Gotham is Two-Face, meaning Gotham is a city at odds with itself. Gotham is Killer Croc. Meaning the city is little more than a cannibalistic monster. Gotham is Batman. Gotham is Batman's city. Gotham is the Bat."

"He tried to use Gotham's legends against me. But I'm the only legend this city needs. In many ways, it's my oldest and truest friend. And it knows me better than anyone, just as I know it."

"You know, some nights, Dick, on patrol, I've felt the city looking at. I always thought it was watching over me, though, like a partner, or even family... It's a stranger and an enemy...it always has been."

"I know now that you can spend your whole life learning Gotham from deep inside...and still know nothing about it at all."

"Gotham is the ultimate one-stop-shopping destination for fashion savvy girls, tweens, teens and young adults."

"Gotham City. This city can do things to people. Change them. I've seen it happen too many times. That's why I'm here. I've seen too many people become monsters."

"Tell your friends-as long as there are people in Gotham, there'll be a Bat."

"I swear, that psycho must have had a bullet for every man, woman, and child in Gotham!"

"It's the greatest city on the planet. Anything a guy could want is for sale there. It's like a big piece of ripe fruit. It's the whole world to me."

"I guess I'd have to say Batman rules Gotham."

Gotham City. A great city. A corrupt city. A city teeming with the insane, the murderous, the corrupt, the dangerous, the cursed for many years. Yet, a city with possibility and hope.

I am Bruce Wayne. I was killed by one of those monstrosities in my youth. I was brought back to life by unknown means. I was trained vigorously, so that I can bring the many corrupt ones to justice. I became a superhero. I became a symbol, an inspiration; I became something that the city could put their hopes on. I put many to justice, helped many in need. I am what Gotham needs and deserves. I am a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a caped crusader, a dark knight.

I am the Batman.

* * *

**Characters:**

Bruce Wayne (Batman): Formerly a boy named Willy Schmuck, Bruce Wayne was accidently killed by Deadshot. Revived by unknown means, he is renamed and trained by Tomas Valley, and is given the means to become Gotham's protector.

Dick Grayson (Nightwing): Named Danny by his parents, Dick Grayson lived in Wayne Manor when his parents were killed by an accident caused by Anarky. Having been previously trained and later trained by Tomas Valley, Grayson decided to help Batman protect Gotham and its citizens as Nightwing.

Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne's butler and valet. After assassination, Alfred "revived" him through unknown means and raised him for the rest of his childhood. His many skills, from cooking to medicine makes him Batman's most staunchest ally, along with a formal demeanor that grounds the Dark Knight and deflects those who might otherwise suspect Batman's true identity.

Lucius Fox: Bruce's benefactor and inventor of the Code Disk and the Armor Belt. CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Fox has the "Midas Touch", an ability to turn failing businesses into successful conglomerates. He also provides Batman with his vehicles and upgrades.

Lucian Fox: Lucius Fox's teenage son and Dick Grayson's best friend.

Tomas Valley: A mysterious warrior who trains Bruce to become Batman. Very little is known about his past except that he had served the Wayne family before.

James Gordon: A police officer who secretly works with Batman.

Clara Bowman: Formerly one of Shiva's brainwashed warriors, now a cop and one of Dick Grayson's best friends.

Eagle: A vigilante who helps Batman at certain times.

* * *

**Main Villains:**

Shiva: A high-ranking member of the League of Shadows and the one behind the mutations. Creator of the Devil's Nest.

The Devil's Nest: A group of Shiva's mutants consisting of Lucifer, Belial, Amon, Astaroth, Baal, and Beezelbub.

V: A vigilante aiming to kill Batman. Created from a crime lord and dark magic, he wears a Guy Fawkes mask.

Mr. Freeze: A brilliant cryogenicist put into Arkham Asylum. He later breaks out with the help of Two-Face and wielding a number of freezing weapons, he wears a protective cryogenic suit in his quest to somehow restore his sick wife to full health and avenge her fate, which he partly holds Tomas Valley responsible for.

Two-Face: Formerly Gotham's heroic district attorney, and a supporter of Batman until V burned half of his face, fracturing his mental state, causing him to become Two-Face, a criminal mastermind. His former good luck charm, a "two-headed" silver dollar, was damaged on one side during the attack that ruined half his face, and Dent has seized on it as a reflection of his half-scarred visage. He flips it to decide the fates of his victims.

The Penguin: A short, chubby, eccentric criminal mastermind, known as much for his love of ornithology and trick umbrellas as for his already shady business dealings. He is known for his love of birds and his high-tech umbrellas that serve some specialized function, such as hang-gliding and weaponry.

Deadshot: Bruce Wayne's assassin and one of Shiva's followers. Tasked to track down an ancient crystal possessed by a girl.

Professor Pyg and Toad: Two criminals that showed up in Gotham with the intent to hunt down and eliminate the main investors in a land deal that had destroyed a wetlands animal preserve. They have a hatred for men who abuse animals.

Scarecrow: The Scarecrow is an insane ex-professor of psychology who uses a variety of drugs and psychological tactics to use the fears and phobias of his adversaries. His signature drug is fear gas.

Man-Bat: Dr. Kirk Langstrom, a scientist specializing in the study of bats, develops an extract intended to give humans the bat's sonar sense and tests the formula on himself because he was becoming deaf. While it works, it has a horrible side effect: it transforms him gradually into a hideous humanoid bat-like monster.

Clayface: Basil Karlo was an actor until he was driven mad by learning that a film he would star in was cancelled. Adopting the alias of the film's villain, "Clayface," he rages on his film crew.

Anarky: An insane criminal intent on causing chaos in Gotham. He has good knowledge of martial arts and is able to hold his own against Batman.

* * *

**Other Villains:**

Jolt, Staff, the infamous sixty-six, Shiva's mutants, Ko-Han, the Three Wings

* * *

**A/N: **

**There are 45 chapters in Arc 1. Hope you enjoy the fic. I'm not releasing Chapter 5 of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Earth Z or Chapter 1 of Arc 1 until next year. **

**Happy New Years everyone!**


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Prologue**

In a dark hall, a tall man in a very protective suit and a helmet with a robotic sensor eye on the right side of it. On his arms were wrist-mounted guns, and his pockets probably contained many other weapons. On his back was a Barett M82.

He walked over to a small throne, and kneeled.

"Milady, I have arrived," said the tall man.

"Good, I have news for you," a female voice then spoke. The throne whirled around to face the man kneeling. Even in the dim light facing the throne, the female remained unseen by the man.

"I have a mission for you, assassin," said the female.

"And what may that be?" the male asked.

"A girl in Gotham possesses an ancient artifact that belongs to the League, I need you to kill the girl and retrieve the artifact," the female growled.

"There are many girls in Gotham, which girl in particular?" the male asked, tilting his head.

"She attends Gotham High…her name is Anna Dawes, senior class. I want that artifact delivered without any trouble," the female growled.

"What is the artifact anyways?" the male asked.

"A coin from the past, it's on her necklace," the female said.

"Good, now I know what to do," the assassin said, he got up and started to walk away.

"Wait, just one more thing," the female snapped. The assassin turned around.

"Don't mess this up," the female growled.

* * *

**Gotham High**

"Mr. Schmuck, now can you please start your presentation on your animal?" a teacher asked.

"Yes," Schmuck said.

Willy Bruce Schmuck was a high school senior in Gotham High. He was the star of the basketball team, and today they had their championships against Rapid City. He was also one of the smartest in school, capable of doing calculus in 6th grade and even having the strength of an NBA player. He was tall enough to dunk the hoop. His parents weren't that rich, having faced poverty in their youth. It was almost the end of the semester, and Willy wanted to make sure that nothing bad had happened.

Most of his friends called him "Bruce", as Willy was thought of as a "dumb-ass" name. Bruce went up to the front, and cleared his throat. He was never good at presenting, and had had stage fright many times before.

"So, explain what animal you chose and why," the teacher said.

"So, I chose the bat. I chose the bat as an animal because in my youth, I accidentally fell into a well, and it was full of bats. I was very frightened, and I developed chiroptophobia, fear of bats.. I chose this animal because I want to face that fear someday, so I feel like I had to study the animal itself."

"Now, give us a summary of this animal," the teacher said, raising an eyebrow, like he was not impressed.

"Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera; from the Greek χείρ - cheir, "hand"[2] and πτερόν - pteron, "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, can only glide for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, as birds do, but instead flap their spread-out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium.

Bats represent about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with about 1,240 bat species divided into two suborders: the less specialized and largely fruit-eating megabats, or flying foxes, and the highly specialized and echolocating microbats. About 70% of bat species are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores, or fruit eaters. A few species, such as the fish-eating bat, feed from animals other than insects, with the vampire bats being hematophagous.

Bats are present throughout most of the world, performing vital ecological roles of pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plant species depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds. Bats are important, as they consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides. The smallest bat is the Kitti's hog-nosed bat, measuring 29–34 mm (1.14–1.34 in) in length, 15 cm (5.91 in) across the wings and 2–2.6 g (0.07–0.09 oz) in mass. It is also arguably the smallest extant species of mammal, with the Etruscan shrew being the other contender. The largest species of bat are a few species of Pteropus and the giant golden-crowned flying fox with a weight up to 1.6 kg (4 lb) and wingspan up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)."

The teacher then took off his glasses, and had a murderous look on his face. Bruce looked at him uneasily. But the teacher's face soon changed.

"Well! I think that was wonderful! Give him a round of applause!" the teacher shouted, and everyone started to clap. They had actually enjoyed his long summary.

After class, some of the students went up to him.

"Dude, you gotta teach me something," one said.

"How are you so smart?" another asked.

"I serve you," a third said.

"Heh, just remember to always stay focused, and not lose hope. Stay on the path and you'll succeed. Don't give up either, or you will fail," Bruce said.

Bruce later caught the eye of Anna Dawes, one of the hottest girls in the school, and the class president. She was nearly as smart as Bruce, but she was obviously more beautiful. They smiled at each other. She wore a necklace with a strange small coin with ancient writings on it. Bruce never really had a crush on her, but he admired her and so did she.

"Good luck at the game, I'll be watching," Anna said.

"Thanks," Bruce said.

"Do a dunk for me Mr. Michael Jordan," Anna smiled, winking her eye. She left him and walked up the stairs after that.

Secretly, Bruce never had a thing for women either. Most of them like him, but he never felt that he should have anything to do with them.

"Women," Bruce growled, but chuckled a bit afterward.

* * *

**Street**

Bruce's game was at 6'o clock sharp, and since it was a good day he decided to head out to buy some soda.

As he sat down and popped open the cap, he started drinking. Halfway through the bottle, Bruce saw a bat flying in the air. A chill went up his spine, but Bruce remained calm. Normally he would've started screaming, but this time it was different.

"That's weird, bats are usually night people," Bruce thought. He dismissed it as a dream or something in his head. Just then, Bruce heard a foot bang against the bench he sat on.

"How was your day? Schmuck?" a voice sneered.

It was Gideon Thomas and his bully goons. Ever since Bruce had attended Gotham High starting in 11th grade, Gideon lost the spotlight to him, and had a pointless personage towards him ever since.

"Great, as a matter of fact, it would be better if you weren't trying to ruin my face every single school day," Bruce taunted him.

Gideon growled. "Pah! Normally I would've ignored that, but since I'm feeling a bit extra angry today, I'm gonna teach you a lesson!" Gideon's friends laughed, Bruce started laughing too.

"What's the matter smartass?" one of them crowed.

Bruce had never been in a fight with one, since either Bruce was with his friends or he talked them out. But Bruce sensed that today was a different day and this was not the normal Gideon he knew.

But he wasn't going to be screwed up and smashed into a pulp, Bruce is a black-belt at the Shadowy Sun Karate Dojo, and was one of the strongest students. One of Bruce's friends, now in college, had taught him how to street fight.

"Me and my friends are gonna break that leg of yours, so you and your team is gonna lose that game. You'll be the laughingstock of the school!" Gideon cried.

"Yeah, maybe a couple ribs out of the picture as well!" one of Gideon's fat friends said.

"I suggest you guys, to go take a shit, out in the wilderness instead of pick a fight on me. I'm pretty sure a mountain lion would wanna fight you guys though, since you are so eager, so audacious," Bruce mused.

"I had enough of this guy!" one of Gideon's friends cried, he charged at Bruce and tried to punch him, but Bruce simply caught his hand without looking.

"I could just crush your hand, but I wouldn't be any better than scum like you or the criminals out there," Bruce grunted.

Bruce's opponent roared, and aimed his other fist at Bruce, but Bruce simply caught the other hand as well.

"Why do you even try?" Bruce asked, smiling.

Bruce kicked his adversary in the crotch, making him groan. The rest of Gideon's friends followed their fallen comrade's lead and ran towards Bruce. Bruce weaved under one guy's fist, and then grabbed his arm and threw the poor man over his shoulder. Another "Gidi-minion" aimed a kick at his face, but Bruce blocked his foot with an elbow and kicked him in the stomach. Two guys ran towards him at full speed, and threw a couple punches at Bruce, making him stumble, but Bruce returned the favor and punched them back, bringing them down.

Gideon came at him lastly, and tackled him to the floor. Bruce hopped back up, and tried to elbow Gideon, but the bully shoved his elbow off and kicked him.

"He must've been preparing for this very day," Bruce thought.

They continued to exchange punches and kicks, but soon enough Gideon made the wrong move, and Bruce caught his leg and swung it, making Gideon flip a few times then land on his back hard. Gideon groaned as he hit the floor.

"Ah. There, that would teach you not to mess with the best man," Bruce called.

"I'll see that you lose to me, that you will fall to your knees and succumb. You will suffer!" Gideon yelled, with blood still on his lips.

Bruce felt angry all of a sudden, and decided to kick Gideon in the face after all he had done to him. Gideon was knocked unconscious afterward.

Bruce's watch started blaring a loud sound, notifying him that it was time for the basketball game.

"Time to go, let's hope Mr. Dangerous here stays intact," Bruce said to himself. He rushed back to the school.

* * *

**Gotham City, Unknown Area**

The assassin paced around his makeshift hideout for an hour, wondering how the event would go. He spent most of his time planning how the attack and the retrieval of the ancient coin would be executed.

Earlier, a League spy acting as a teacher in Gotham High had told him that today in the late afternoon, there would be a basketball game against Rapid City, the final game of the season. The assassin thought it would be an advantage, but there may be a chance that the assassin's target would be interested in this, and that she wouldn't be able to be drawn out.

"Maybe if someone in the crowd was smart enough to try to steal a personal belonging…." The assassin thought. Just then, his phone rang. It was his female conspirator and his boss.

"Deadshot, how are things going?" the female asked.

"I am still planning, there are several methods that can be done, but it would risk being seen," Deadshot said.

"You may kill whoever is in your way," the female reminded him.

"I rather have it clean and not have my head on a reward paper," Deadshot countered.

"You have to ensure the girl's death," the female reminded him again.

"Do not lecture me, I know what must be done," Deadshot grumbled, and then he hung up.

It was the moment that Deadshot had found out what the plan would be. During the basketball game, he would shoot the girl dead, and it would cause mass panic, and if the assassin wore regular clothing, the audience may mistake him for a witness.

"So that means I can't use my Barett…" Deadshot thought.

It wouldn't be much of a bother, he could use one of his arm guns to kill the girl just as easily, but he'd just have to be closer.

"I'd have to sneak in…but that won't be trouble since a big game is occurring…" Deadshot pondered over the killing plan.

Whether the coin was on the girl or not was the matter…

* * *

**Gotham High Boy's Locker Room**

The Gotham High Tigers were getting ready and dressed into their shorts and jerseys in the locker room. Bruce went to his locker, and it turned out he was the last one there. His locker number was 666, and Bruce had thought such a bad number would cause bad luck for the team or somebody's death.

For some reason, Bruce had a feeling someone would die today…but he didn't have time to dwell on that, right now he wanted to focus on winning his game.

"Hah, maybe it's just Gideon dying from shock," Bruce thought.

He put on his jersey, which had the number 99 on it. The game was beginning in a few minutes, and the coach gathered all of the players together.

"All right guys, listen up. It's our final game, and since we won all our past games this season, we gotta keep the record up. Just do what you do best, and we will succeed!" the coach shouted. The players cheered.

The players ran out of the gym lockers and the audience cheered. Bruce came out last and the crowd cheered even more. Bruce wasn't in it for the audience, or the fame, or the victory, he just wanted to play.

"Please welcome…the Gotham High Tigers!" the referee shouted.

A few minutes after a little pep talk, Bruce and 4 other players walked out to the field. He glanced at Anna, she winked.

Bruce tipped the ball and passed it to a teammate, and the game started. The Tigers made the first shot within 6 seconds.

A few minutes later, Bruce had the ball in hand, two players suddenly rushed at him, and Bruce shot it from the half-court line. The crowd started to explode.

* * *

**Outside Gotham High**

Deadshot was in civilian clothes with his arm guns concealed in his sweater. He wore a Gotham High cap just to blend in.

As he walked in the door, a security guard was at a podium.

"Hey pal, you wanna watch the game? Its 5 dollars," the guard boomed.

Deadshot punched the guard and knocked him out.

"Yeah I'll watch the game," Deadshot said. He walked on, trying to find the gym.

"Hey look guys, someone to pick on," a couple of students said. They looked like wannabe thugs, something Deadshot hated to pick with.

"Get outta my way, punks," Deadshot grumbled.

"Whatcha gonna do, huh?" a student asked.

"You scared?" another asked.

"You should be," Deadshot said, revealing his arm guns.

"Holy shit, it's a gun!" one of the students cried.

"You telling me I'm scared?" Deadshot pressed.

"Please! Please don't kill us!" the students cried.

"Too late," Deadshot said quietly. He shot two rounds, and two bodies landed on the floor with a thud.

"Your blood stains the halls kids," Deadshot said, walking away.

The assassin had soon found the gym, and peered in. Sure enough, the girl was inside.

"Now, what to do…" Deadshot said. He looked behind him trying to see if anyone was there. No one was.

"Now, girl, you have my permission to die," Deadshot said.

* * *

**Gym**

There were five minutes left in the game, and the Tigers were winning 50-10. Bruce had the ball in hand again, and ran full speed at the hoop.

"Time to make that dunk for Anna," Bruce thought. Most of the other players were still on the other side of the court. Bruce jumped and aimed his hands at the hoop. His hands and the ball collided with the net, and the crowd exploded. Bruce glanced at Anna, and she smiled. Suddenly a bullet flew near her head and hit the wall, but no one noticed.

"What the hell is happening?" Bruce thought.

As Bruce started to run towards the other side of the court, a shot was heard, and Bruce felt something hit his chest. He fell towards the floor in pain. The crowd started to scream and started to run in all directions.

Elsewhere, Deadshot looked in shock.

"No! That was not supposed to be the target!" Deadshot yelled. His phone rang and Deadshot ran out of sight.

"What!?" Deadshot yelled in rage.

"You failed your mission Deadshot," a female voice said.

"The stupid boy ran right into the bullet! I can still kill the girl!" Deadshot cried.

"No! You are to come back here immediately! It is too late! The girl's location will be difficult to find!" the female said in a deadly voice.

"Fine, but next time I will get that coin!" Deadshot countered.

Back at the gym, Bruce groaned in pain. He knew what had happened, he was hit with a bullet. From who or where, he didn't know. Bruce only knew that he was dead.

"No…this…can't…be…happen…ing," Bruce mumbled. Nobody came to help him, everyone was in panic. Bruce had no hope.

Suddenly, he saw a couple of paramedics run towards him, but before he could say anything, he had his last breath, and his eyes closed.

* * *

**Unknown Area**

"You have failed me!" the female boomed.

"I haven't yet! If you let me out there again…" Deadshot said.

"No! You had two chances at her!" the female growled.

"It's like she knew what was happening! And the boy unintentionally took the bullet!" Deadshot said.

"Don't try to reason with me," the female said.

Deadshot remained silent.

"For your failure, you are no longer needed of service. We will dispose of you," the female said.

"No! You can't do this!" Deadshot cried.

"He is right…" a deep voice boomed.

"But my master…" the female spoke.

"He is worthy for our later causes. I have seen what had happened. It was all because of the boy. The boy's sudden intervention caused him his death and Deadshot's failure, so Deadshot will continue on his tasks," the male again boomed.

"Fine! So be it," the female said, waving her arms in the air and sighing in exasperation.

"But as of your failure…Deadshot, we have to probate you. You're relieved of duty for a while. If we have something, you're up," the man said.

"I'm the second best assassin in the world and you gonna probate me? It was only the boy's unintended intervention. This shit ain't supposed to happen," Deadshot snapped.

"Second best next to Slade Wilson. Do not snap at me like that, or you're out of the League. Show some respect," the man growled.

"Fine, fine, do whatever," Deadshot grumbled. The assassin then walked out in disbelief.

"It was like the girl knew what I was gonna do, and for some reason, the boy had run into my shot," Deadshot thought. He decided not to dwell on it, and he also decided to go elsewhere.

"I'll be back, Gotham."

* * *

**Another Unknown Area, 2 months later**

Bruce woke up in a big, strange place. He was naked on the top, but had pajamas on. Last time, he remembered he was shot in the chest somewhere near the heart. Now, he was somehow alive.

"I'm sure I was dead," Bruce said.

He tried sitting up, but his back was in great pain. His chest still hurt from the bullet, and his body ached. He had never felt so bad before.

"Well, it looks like you're awake, sir," a kind but old voice said.

"Where am I?" Bruce asked.

"Wayne Manor," the voice said.

"And who are you?" Bruce asked.

"Alfred. Alfred Alan Pennyworth. I was the butler and valet for the Wayne Family, until Thomas and Martha died. I just manage the house now," Alfred said.

Bruce glanced over to where the old man was. He was kind of skinny, wearing a blue hoodless sweater and black pants. He had glasses and white hair.

"What happened to them?" Bruce asked.

"They were shot, they didn't have a child. So there was no apparent heir to the family," Alfred said remorsefully.

"I'm guessing they were rich as hell, huh?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. They managed Wayne Enterprises. For a long while, it was under the management of William Earle after their death," Alfred said.

"And how's he?" Bruce asked.

"Terrible," Alfred grumbled.

"You sound like you hate him," Bruce laughed.

"He fired Mr. Fox," Alfred said.

"Mr. Fox? Lucius Fox? That one guy everybody was talking about on the news one day?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, that's probably me," a voice that resembled Mr. Fox said.

"Whoa, it's Lucius Fox," Bruce said, bewildered.

Bruce looked at Lucius, the man was wearing a tuxedo and black dress pants with recently polished black shoes.

"Welcome to Wayne Manor, Mr. Schmuck," Lucius said.

"It's an honor meeting a guy like you, but why am I here? How am I alive?" Bruce asked.

"First of all, you were shot near the heart. You died from shock, but we revived you with electricity to get your heart restarted. Second, we think that, because of your academic abilities and skills, you can become Thomas and Martha Wayne's heir," Lucius explained.

"Do my parents know of this?" Bruce asked.

"It's been two months since your death, Mr. Schmuck. Your parents decided to go to New York a few days after the tragedy. Your sister is very distraught, but she came through alright. Your parents are out of the game, they'll be safe," Lucius said.

"Hey! Is that guy awake, dad?" a third voice was heard.

"Lucian! I thought I told you not to come out and bother him!" Lucius cried.

"But Dad! I just wanted to say hi to him!" Lucian complained, Bruce let out a weak laugh.

"I'm guessing you're Lucian Fox?" Bruce asked.

"In the flesh, mister," Lucian said happily.

"So do you live here or something?" Bruce asked.

"No, we don't. We were closely associated with the Wayne family, very good friends," Lucian said.

"I see…" Bruce said. "But I don't know what I should do now. Do you really think I can inherit Thomas Wayne's company?" Bruce asked.

"You won't? Or you can't?" a hoarse voice asked.

Bruce looked back, and saw a cool blond man with bullet-proof armor, camo pants, a sword and scabbard on his back, and two pistols on holsters.

"And who are you?" Bruce asked.

"I am Tomas Valley, I have served the Wayne Family before," Tomas said.

"You're some kind of warrior aren't you?" Bruce asked.

"You may refer to me as one," Tomas replied.

"Okay…but what is my purpose here? I suppose I'm too young to manage a company right now, but what am I going to do now?" Bruce asked.

"Do you want revenge on the assassin that slain you?" Tomas asked.

"I wanted to kill him, for what he did. For all the mass panic caused, and for the rest of the crimes he may have done," Bruce admitted.

"Killing the enemy would make you no better than the assassin who killed you," Tomas said.

"I would be bringing him to justice if I killed him," Bruce said.

"Come on, Lucian. This isn't for you," Lucius said, beckoning his son to walk away.

"Killing your assassin wouldn't be justice. It is revenge," Tomas said.

"How am I gonna 'bring him to justice the right way' then? The guy's a dangerous sniper," Bruce asked.

"I'll train you," Tomas offered.

"Training?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, I would be training you to be prepared for the day you bring your assassin to justice," Tomas replied.

"I don't think the assassin was after me though," Bruce admitted.

"Why do you think that?" Tomas asked.

"He shot you in the heart, sir, that is plenty reason enough," Alfred cut in.

"He missed his first shot, and it wasn't aimed at me, it was aimed at some girl I knew," Bruce said.

"Who is this girl you speak of?" Tomas asked.

"Her name's Anna Dawes, but I don't know why she would be a target," Bruce said.

"I will also teach you to be a detective, so you can find out why she was targeted," Tomas offered.

"Do I have to be trained in all this stuff?" Bruce asked.

"It is voluntary, but if you don't, you won't be able to bring him to justice and we can't risk you going out there again, everyone knows you are dead so we have to let everyone out there think you are staying dead," Tomas explained.

"Shouldn't Master Bruce have a new name? Since he is going to be the heir of Thomas and Martha," Alfred asked.

"You have a point, Alfred," Tomas said. "What should we call him from now on?"

"I know what he'll be called, Tomas," Alfred said.

"What is his new name then?" Tomas pressed.

"Wait a minute! I'd like to keep my first name," Bruce said.

"Then you shall be called, Bruce Wayne," Alfred said.

"Bruce Wayne," Tomas said.

"Bruce Wayne."


	3. Chapter 2: Adapting

**A/N: **

**Sorry for the late update guys! The weekends are the only time I have to type, and on the weekdays I still have school. Well hope you enjoy Chapter 2!**

* * *

**Prologue:**

It had been two years since one of Deadshot's most memorable missions, as well as one of his failures.

Deadshot's target was a girl with an ancient coin belonging to the League, but she miraculously avoided his first shot. A boy later accidentally ran into his second shot, taking the bullet for the girl.

The League spared him, but suspended him from any other mission.

But Deadshot felt that it was soon time to be reassigned something.

And right just then the phone rang. Deadshot hesitated, but soon took the phone and pressed Answer.

"Who is this?" Deadshot asked.

"Oh Floyd, hasn't it been a nice two years," a familiar female voice said.

"What do you want," Deadshot asked.

"What do you think?" the female voice asked.

"Is it an assignment?" Deadshot asked.

"Of course you stupid, why else would I call you?" the female voice grumbled.

"A date maybe," Deadshot joked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, **** you," the female voice said with a raised voice.

"So what's the catch?" Deadshot asked.

"I need you to pose as a vigilante around China, conquer all the gangs. I've already asked someone else to conquer the Yakuza, and in order to expand the League's rule, those gangs must be brought under control…" the female voice said.

"That should be easy," Deadshot said.

"That is…unless all those crooks and gangsters and Joe Chills miraculously dodge all your shots," the female voice grumbled.

Joe Chill was the name of the criminal that assassinated Thomas and Martha Wayne, but Deadshot had no concern over the Waynes right now. But just recently, Joe Chill died at the hands of Carmine Falcone, one of Gotham's most notorious crime lords.

"They won't be as lucky as that girl," Deadshot sneered.

"Hmmph, maybe," the female voice decided.

"When will I start?" Deadshot asked.

"A week to prepare, I'd reckon your shooting is a bit rusty by now," the female voice taunted.

"Don't say that," Deadshot replied.

"I've already arranged transportation, at our secret hanger in San Francisco, be there or be killed," the female voice said, she then hung up.

"Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me," Deadshot grumbled.

He walked over to a duffel bag, and pulled out both of his gauntlet guns…

* * *

**Wayne Manor**

It had also been two years since Bruce's death and revival.

Over the two years, Bruce had already been confirmed dead by those who had known him, and for the last two years he lived in Wayne Manor under the care of Alfred, his butler, and Tomas Valley, a temporary bodyguard.

"When do you want your training to begin?" Tomas would ask at certain times.

"Not now," Bruce would reply. But he knew it would happen sooner or later, if he wanted to bring Deadshot to justice.

At first, Bruce didn't know why he was brought to Wayne Manor instead of some other victim. Alfred said that a random kid's parents wouldn't just hand their kid over to be a Wayne. Bruce had formerly died, and Alfred and Tomas saw their chance and disguised themselves as an ambulance driver and medic to get Bruce to the manor.

Didn't that seem sneaky and evil?

Bruce was taught by Alfred what he would've been taught in college. Alfred had told him that his instruction would be over soon and that he should just consider taking Tomas's training now, but Bruce had many thoughts in his mind.

"What do you think the public would think? What if someone had recognized this boy that had died years ago and somehow he came back to life? Last time I checked, someone doesn't just rise out of the ground and start roaming the Earth again," Bruce had said.

"I see," Alfred said.

"At the same time, this seems like an important job, something worth doing," Bruce admitted.

"Without the proper training, you would never be able to do it. But I trust that Tomas would instruct you well," Alfred said.

After working out, Bruce decided to walk around the manor, wanting to explore more of the place. He knew that the building itself won't have just basic rooms everywhere. Bruce felt like there was something below the building, something he should check out.

After walking near the backyard, Bruce saw a bat hovering near the upper corner of the walls.

Bruce hadn't seen a bat since the fight with Gideon, a bully. Last he heard on the news, the guy stopped being a bully and had apparently become a famous break-dancer and rapper.

"I hated the guy (referring to Bruce), but after his death something clicked in my mind. I think, that he thought that I could become a better person than my past life, and he was right. I'm not the brightest man on Earth, but if he thought I could be good, I'd honor his wish."

"Um…Alfred?" Bruce said. Bruce had never really gotten over his slight fear of bats.

"Yes?" Alfred shouted out loud.

"There's a bat in the house," Bruce said, pointing to the flying creature as Alfred walked over.

"Blessed bats, they must have a nesting ground somewhere here," Alfred said.

"Well, maybe it's time to find out where it is," Bruce replied.

Bruce then stepped out of the manor, and went a few yards out where a well was.

"It might be under here…" Bruce thought.

The well was covered with many weeds and plants, and Bruce had to rip them out.

A thorn then caught his hand, and Bruce grunted; he managed to pull the thorn out of his hand, and decided to go back to the manor to get some gardening gloves.

Bruce then walked back out, and after pulling the weeds out, he got a rope and tied it on the top of the well, then scooted down until he reached the bottom.

"Must've been unused for a long while," Bruce said to himself. He walked further on until he reached a dark cave with the bat Bruce was following going in.

"So this must be the bat cave," Bruce said.

Bruce got out a flashlight, and started to look around the cave. Daring to take a step forward, a massive horde of bats flew straight at Bruce, who quickly ducked but found himself feeling comfortable among the mass crowd of them.

"This is awfully odd," Bruce thought.

Bruce felt like he wanted to explore more, but he was going to need better gear for the rest of the journey.

* * *

When Lucius visited, Bruce came up to him after speaking with Tomas and Alfred.

"Hey uh Lucius, you got anything useful for spelunking?" Bruce asked.

"Spelunking? You say?" Lucius asked.

"Yeah, you know, cave-exploring," Bruce said.

"I think I have something back at my lab," Lucius said.

Alfred drove both Lucius and Bruce to Lucius's lab, which was rumored to contain numerous gadgets and weapons.

"So Mr. Fox, what kind of weapons do you have?"

"I don't exactly call them weapons, just tools and gadgets of great use," Lucius simply replied.

"Like what kind of gadgets?" Bruce pressed.

Lucius didn't answer him, but when they arrived in Lucius's secret basement, he replied.

"I sense that you need something else from me, Mr. Wayne?" Lucius Fox asked.

"Yeah," Bruce said.

"What for?" Lucius Fox asked.

"Something like a um…a grappling hook?" Bruce suggested.

"I may have something like that in here," Lucius Fox said.

Lucius Fox walked over to a cabinet, and pulled out a heavy box. Lucius grunted with effort, so Bruce rushed to help.

"Lemme help you with that, Mr. Fox," Bruce said, holding another end of the box.

They set the box on the table, and Lucius Fox opened it up.

"Whoa…" Bruce said after looking at the contents of the box.

"What do you think?" Mr. Fox asked.

"What is it...?" Bruce asked.

"It is a Nomex Survival Suit, based on an advanced infantry armor system constructed from Nomex, the first layer of protection is an undersuit with built-in temperature regulators designed to keep the wearer at a comfortable temperature in almost any condition. The second layer of protection consists of armor built over the chest, calves, thighs, arms, and back. This armor features a kevlar bi-weave that can stop slashing weapons and can also deflect any bullet short of a straight shot impact, and reinforced joints that allow maximum flexibility and mobility," Lucius explained.

"I'm assuming it's a military suit," Bruce deduced.

"Yup it is, Mr. Wayne," Lucius replied.

"Then why wasn't it mass produced or something?" Bruce asked.

"The military decided that a soldier's life wasn't worth three hundred grand," Lucius said.

"Oh, that sums it up," Bruce said.

"You experience a lot of gunfire in those caves?" Lucius asked.

"No, just don't want anything bad happening," Bruce said.

"Alright then," Lucius said.

Just as Lucius went to the door, Bruce noticed something.

"Hey Mr. Fox, what's that?" Bruce asked, pointing to it.

Lucius Fox looked over to where the young man was pointing.

"Oh, the Tumbler? You wouldn't be interested in that," Lucius said.

* * *

**Elsewhere in China**

In the city of Guangzhou, a local gang had recently taken control of most of the city. The gang, the Byakko, was infamous for causing many riots around China.

The leader, a druggie from Italy called Bellatino ruled the Byakko with an iron fist. Hailing from a rich crime family, the Celines. Bellatino Celine had united both of the mafias but kept the name, Byakko.

At least, that was what his benefactor had told Deadshot, Deadshot was to assassinate Bellatino Celine and take control of both the Celine crime family and the Byakko cartel.

"To further expand the League's influence and control," Deadshot said to himself.

As he approached the Byakko Headquarters, a couple of guards with naginatas blocked the doors with the tips of their weapons.

"State your business," a guard said.

Before the guards could say another word, Deadshot shot a guard with his wrist-mounted guns, and then elbowed another guard. A third guard tried to stab the assassin, but Deadshot grabbed the weapon and threw it at a fourth guard. The weapon impaled his head and he went down.

"Yahh!" the second and third guard cried. Deadshot ducked between both their attacks and shot them in the stomach, they went down and clutched to their wounds.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you," Deadshot said.

"What do you want…" a guard asked between coughs.

"Your master's head," Deadshot said before walking away.

As the assassin went inside the doors, Deadshot observed the long hallway. There were many closed rooms, which meant the Byakko warriors were probably asleep.

"Or in a meeting…" Deadshot thought, as he heard voices in a big room.

Deadshot decide to make a grand entrance, so he blasted the doors down. All of the warriors turned on him. Many others exited their rooms and pointed weapons of all kinds behind Deadshot.

"Well well well, it looks like we have a visitor, my comrades," a deep voice said.

It was Bellatino Celine.

"Bellatino Celine, an honor meeting such a ruthless crime lord," Deadshot said.

"What are you doing on Byakko territory, stranger…?" Bellatino asked in a dark voice.

"Replacing you," Deadshot said.

The Byakko warriors stiffened and pointed weapons at him even closer.

"Wait," Bellatino said, raising a hand signaling the warriors to put down their weapons.

The warriors did but kept all eyes on Deadshot.

"Here in the Byakko mafia, we pick our leaders by strength," Bellatino said, clenching a fist.

"What do you propose, Bellatino Celine…?" Deadshot asked.

"I demand a fight, if you are as good as you say. To the death, any weapons allowed, in the Cage…" Bellatino said.

"Well then, you do have an interesting offer," Deadshot mused.

"But I would warn you, I have never lost a fight in my life," Bellatino grunted.

"Maybe today is the day you lose a fight," Deadshot said.

"ora per la fine!" Bellatino yelled.

The big crime lord grabbed a morning star and swung it at Deadshot. Deadshot ducked under it but was hit with the morning star after getting up.

"Ooof!" Deadshot yelled as he hit the fence of the Cage.

"Over so soon…?" Bellatino asked.

"Hmmph, this is interesting," Deadshot said, getting up and grabbing a broadsword.

The two clashed weapons, mace on sword, the sound of metal clanged as each fighter tried to overpower the other.

"I have to admit, this is the first time someone has lasted this long in a fight against me," Bellatino said.

"Well maybe you just cheat every time," Deadshot countered.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY I CHEAT!" Bellatino yelled as he let out a battle cry.

"Sensitive fellow," Deadshot said.

Bellatino threw the morning star at Deadshot, who tried to block it with his broadsword, but the force of the throw had made Deadshot loosen his grip on the weapon. As Deadshot looked at his right hand, Bellatino had picked him up and threw him to the other side of the fence.

"Just 'cause you last long, don't mean you gonna survive!" Bellatino yelled.

"Hmmph," Deadshot said.

As the two fighters charged at each other, Bellatino punched Deadshot, making him fly a few feet back.

"He's a heavy fighter with a lot of strength, but that doesn't mean I'm backing down now," Deadshot observed.

He looked over to the Byakko warriors, who were staring at the two warriors with cold eyes, all intent on knowing who was victorious.

Bellatino aimed another punch at Deadshot, but Deadshot grabbed his arm and kneed it. Bellatino winced before slamming another fist at Deadshot's head, but Deadshot grabbed the other arm too.

"I will make you suffer, you can't withstand me for much longer," Bellatino said as Deadshot struggled to keep Bellatino's arms at bay.

"You're the one that's gonna suffer," Deadshot said, as he fired his wrist-mounted guns.

"AHHHH!" Bellatino cried in pain as he looked at both of his arms, which soon fell off of him.

"What did you do to me!?" Bellatino gasped.

"What does it fucking look like?" Deadshot asked.

The Byakko warriors had shocked looks on their faces, but none of them made a peep.

"Your reign is over," Deadshot said as he aimed both his wrist-mounted guns at Bellatino's head. Deadshot then pulled both triggers. The headless and armless body of Bellatino Celine had fallen, and his blood seeped out of the Cage.

Deadshot expected the warriors to fire at him, but instead, the Byakko warriors bowed or saluted, honoring their new leader. They cheered.

"Hmm," Deadshot said.

"What is your name? New lord?" a warrior asked.

"Deadshot."

* * *

**Lucius Fox's Laboratory**

"She was built as a tank for the military!" Lucius yelled.

Bruce was test-driving the black-painted vehicle, as Lucius Fox could never get someone else to. Tomas had preferred regular ways of traveling, and Lucian wasn't old enough.

"5x more armor than a regular army tank, and 2x the weaponry! On the top here!" Lucius points to a panel. "You can activate the blaster cannon, it automatically aims at the nearest target and hits it's weak spot, if it can identify it."

"Two double-barrel machine guns on the sides here, each with a rocket launcher. Over here on the throttle, flip that open and throttle up. This will boost you into a rampless jump!" Lucius explained.

Bruce then flipped the throttle, and the Tumbler accelerated! Lucius held onto the handles of the passenger seat for dear life.

"Not now! Not now! Sir!" Lucius yelled.

Bruce then turned the booster off, and Lucius let off a sigh.

"Afterburner disengaged," the Tumbler AI said.

"These cost too much for the military as well, so I only made one of them," Lucius said.

Bruce then stopped the vehicle, impressed by the Tumbler's performance.

"So, what do you think?" Lucius Fox asked.

* * *

**The Cave **

"Alfred! I think these caves are awesome," Bruce said. "You should come and look!"

"No, I think I would fare better staying here!" Alfred yelled over the sound of the waterfall.

"This place is perfect for a hideout," Bruce said, observing the cave.

"It was a hideout, back in the old days. My father used it once along with some others," Alfred said.

"Oh?" Bruce asked.

"Yes," Alfred replied smoothly.

"I think I should build some stuff here, make this place like a second house or something," Bruce suggested.

"That could work," Alfred said.

Bruce then fired a grapple gun (a gadget from Lucius Fox) at a structure just above the waterfall. Bruce then swung towards the direction and into the waterfall. Seconds later, he flew out and landed on the other side of it.

Bruce walked further on until he saw the exit. It wasn't that large, but large enough for a small plane to fly through. Bruce figured he would need something to cover the cave's entrance and make the hole bigger.

As Bruce went back to Alfred, Tomas came down and nodded.

"I found a hidden lift that leads down here, it is partially functional, and it would take time to fix," Tomas replied.

"Well I've got my work cut out for me then," Bruce said.

"Aside from our working in the caves, our training will start very soon," Tomas replied.

"Tomorrow," Bruce decided.

"Then it is settled," Tomas said with a ghost of a smile. "But we should work on the lift before we officially start."

"Great idea," Alfred said.

"In the meantime, I'll get Lucius to make a bigger entrance and something to conceal it," Bruce suggested.

"Also a great idea," Alfred said before accompanying Tomas to the lift.

As they were gone, Bruce looked at the cave, bats were flying around, as usual, but then an idea sparked in his mind.

"What if I was a bat…?" Bruce asked himself. "What if I was a symbol to the people?"

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he knew more than ever if it was going to be true, then he should start training with Tomas.

"Let's roll," Bruce said to himself.

* * *

**Epilogue**

**Byakko Headquarters**

Deadshot walked up to the Byakko Throne, which still had Bellatino's treasures. It was a golden chair with a white tiger perched on the top. Deadshot swat the treasures away, and took a seat on the throne. Deadshot opened up a bottle of coke.

"I want all of Bellatino's shit gone," Deadshot grumbled. Two Byakko warriors grabbed the stuff and started to throw it away in the furnace.

"Why did you challenge Bellatino for the throne?" a warrior then asked him.

"Why, fellow comrade, I serve a higher order. The League of Shadows. I've been told to overthrow Bellatino so that we can have an alliance with this much larger clan of warriors," Deadshot explained.

"With that, we would perhaps be the biggest threat the world has even seen!" the warrior said.

"Yes…indeed…" Deadshot sneered.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Yes it has been confirmed, the shadowy league mentioned by the deep voice, the female voice, and Deadshot is no other than the League of Shadows. I'll try to get the next update in the next week or two. **

**Preview: Next chapter Tomas and Bruce go around the world for training, Tomas has contacted his other friends for training Bruce, but during his training, Bruce runs into some thugs who work under Deadshot.**


	4. Chapter 3: Training

**A/N: **

**Sorry for such a late release of the next chapter you might've been waiting for, but here it is!**

* * *

**Wayne Manor, Training Room**

Bruce aimed a kick at Tomas as the older and more experienced warrior tried to block the attack. Bruce then blocked a couple of punches from him and kneed his arm and shoved him away, making him stumble.

"Whoever had trained you must've trained you good," Tomas grunted.

"I've been in a martial arts academy since kindergarten, won every single tournament I've been in," Bruce replied.

"Then show that spirit!" Tomas called as he jumped, did a flip, and aimed a kick at Bruce, Bruce rolled out of the way as Tomas came crashing to the ground.

"Good, show me more," Tomas said.

Bruce then aimed a punch at Tomas's face, then at his stomach, he blocked them both and kicked Bruce in the leg with the force of a NFL football player's tackle, or you could say, a rhino.

"Damn, he's blocking every hit I aim at him," Bruce thought.

As Tomas spun and kicked Bruce in the face, Bruce countered by running and launching at Tomas with both feet in front of him. Tomas grabbed both his legs, and threw him into the wall. Bruce used the wall to leap back at Tomas and used both of his legs again and pinned down Tomas by the neck.

Tomas got out of his neck-hold a few seconds after by grabbing both of Bruce's arms, and swung him overhead onto a table. Bruce winced but didn't cry out in pain.

"Your technique is good, but you are still unprepared to face me," Tomas called.

"I've been training with your for six weeks," Bruce replied.

"Training is nothing! The will to act is everything!" Tomas shouted as he ran at Bruce with fists clenched, Bruce ran back at him. Tomas prepared to roundhouse kick him but Bruce had anticipated this, and blocked his attack by doing a karate chop on his leg, then punching him into the wall.

"Better than I expected, I've trained you well," Tomas said, getting up.

"What next?" Bruce asked.

"I have spoken to my colleagues, and they are willing to train you in other things as well, but in different countries," Tomas replied.

"That sounds good, but when do we start? What am I going to be doing with them?" Bruce asked.

"Something you don't do every day, it's for you to figure out, Alfred is driving you to the Waynes' private plane," Tomas replied.

"They had a private plane!?" Bruce asked bewilderedly.

"They are rich, of course," Tomas said.

"Well, I didn't know they were rich enough to have their own plane…" Bruce replied.

"I didn't know at first either, it is alright," Tomas replied.

* * *

**Airport**

It turned out a member of the Wayne family could get into the airport without trouble and in no time, Bruce was already seated on a plane.

"I do not exactly enjoy this rich lifestyle, it makes my last life seem…poor," Bruce admitted.

"Sometimes to make a change, you have to accept the change. Your change was unfortunate and untimely, but you'll make do," Tomas told him.

"Alright, Mr. Prophet…" Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Ha!" Tomas said. As Bruce and Tomas entered the plane, Alfred tapped Bruce on the back.

"Yeah Alfred?" Bruce asked.

"When you go to wherever you are going, please don't expose your identity, it's not worth the trouble that would follow. Stay hidden wherever you may go, and above all, be safe," Alfred instructed.

"Thanks for the advice, Alfred, I'll be sure to follow it," Bruce said.

"Then all I can say is good luck Master Wayne," Alfred said, walking away afterward.

When Bruce took a seat on the plane, Tomas stared at him.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing," Tomas replied.

Before Bruce could utter out another word, the plane had taken off. Bruce put his seat belt on so that he wouldn't suddenly hop right out of his seat from the turbulence, as he heard a similar case a few days ago on the news. Someone got a really bad head injury after flying out of his seat unexpectedly.

"What's the first place we're going?" Bruce asked.

"Mexico City, Mexico, one of my friends there will teach you how to use weapons, and you'll get a feel of crime. My friend will also teach you to watch from afar and study the ways of the criminal: how they act, how they react, and how they fight. Not all criminals may be the same," Tomas explained.

"Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me," Bruce replied.

"Yes…you will even perhaps help to apprehend some criminals as well," Tomas replied.

"That is good," Bruce replied.

"Get some rest, I'll tell you more later when we get to our location," Tomas said.

"Alright, later Tomas," Bruce said, yawning right afterwards.

* * *

**Mexico City**, **Unknown Location**

After landing in the airport, Bruce and Tomas took a cab to an abandoned building and headed underground until they reached a large bunker. On the way, Bruce saw two rapists take a woman into a building. Tomas had told Bruce to ignore it for the time being. The rapists had hesitated after seeing Tomas's weapons on his back, but continued on with their task after he walked away.

"Is this the student?" a mexican man with the same gear as Tomas asked.

"It's him," Tomas said.

"Then welcome to my sanctuary, amigo, I am Castas, your host!" Castas said.

"Hello," Bruce replied.

"Over the next two years or so, you will be training to use all sorts of weaponry, and how to use your surroundings as weapons as well," Castas explained.

"Great," Bruce replied.

"By the way, what weapons do you favor most?" Tomas asked.

"I prefer long-ranged weapons like shurikens or throwing knives, but not bows or arrows. I also like using explosives, not like grenades but like detonators, and hand-to-hand combat is sort of my specialty, and I always liked using a sword," Bruce explained.

Castas pulled out a Glock and looked at it. "No guns?"

"Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed by a gun, using that very weapon would be dishonoring them. A gun is simply a tool for killing, but I'm not a killer, and I won't turn into one. A gunner can kill someone with a gun by effortlessly pulling a trigger, and with such a killing device, criminals could be the ones who decide life and death," Bruce replied.

"I understand what you are saying, but consider the police, or even us vigilantes," Castas said.

"Even for you vigilantes, or mercenaries or anyone else, guns are a much too common weapon. I want to be someone that doesn't use firearms, but someone that may have a way of overpowering and overcoming these weapons," Bruce replied.

"He told me the same, he hates firearms," Tomas said to Castas.

"Alright then! I will train you to be able to use every weapon except for guns!" Castas exclaimed.

"Thanks for understanding," Bruce said.

"No problem, in fact we start today!" Castas replied, getting a sword and scabbard from a closet and tossing it to Bruce.

"Let us go to the training room!" Castas shouted. Bruce and Tomas followed suit.

As they walked in, most of the training equipment, along with walls and cabinets full of magazines and guns were already neatly organized, with the exception of blood and a few other guns on the floor.

"What happened there?" Bruce asked.

"Five sneaky-ass wannabe ninjas tried to steal some guns for a gang, they were loud as hell and snapped me awake, and I shot those guys and threw their bodies into the furnace," Castas said.

"You bloody asshole," Tomas chuckled.

"They deserve that shit bruh, you want somebody to make noise in your house and try to steal your shit?" Castas asked.

"I guess not," Tomas replied.

"Good! Now Bruce, stand on that wall over there," Castas said. Bruce obeyed and just stood straight.

"What are we doing?" Bruce asked.

"I am going to throw knives near you, and try not to flinch," Castas replied as he grabbed 10 knives.

Bruce had already had this kind of training back in his martial arts academy, but the instructor had only used his fist, not actual weapons.

Castas threw his first knife, which nearly impaled Bruce's ear, but instead grazed it. Bruce felt blood trickling down his ear.

"You're good," Castas said. Castas proceeded to throw at Bruce again, this time narrowly grazing his other ear. Castas aimed a third knife right below his crotch, and the knife tore a small hole between his pants.

"Oops," Castas snickered, Tomas rolled his eyes.

As Castas threw a fourth knife, it stuck itself just a centimeter from Bruce's head, but it cut part of his hair off. Castas threw four more, each narrowly hitting Bruce.

The best part was…Bruce never even flinched.

"You got some balls kid, balls of steel," Castas remarked.

"Now what?" Bruce asked as he rearranged his hair.

"We're going to be using that sword of yours," Castas said, drawing a sword from a scabbard. Bruce pulled out his own sword.

They exchanged a couple slashes and swipes, each switching through offense and defense, both sword-wielders seemed to be getting nowhere in defeating the opponent. It was as if they were evenly matched, working together like a machine.

Castas on the other hand had never had a better opponent, for the first time he had seemingly met his match.

Bruce soon made a wrong move, and Castas used the hilt of his sword to hit Bruce in the face, and swipe the sword out of his hands. Bruce fell on the floor, with Castas pointing a sword at his throat.

"Ha! I win!" Castas said.

Bruce didn't acknowledge it as he hopped up and kicked the sword out of his hands. Bruce threw the sword at his sword's tip, making it fly towards Bruce as he caught it with one hand. Bruce pointed the sword at Castas's throat.

"Okay, you win," Castas groaned.

* * *

**Months later…**

Just within months, Bruce knew how to use every single weapon, except for a gun.

His archery skills were Olympic-level; he hit the center with every shot. His sword skills were nearly unmatched, except for maybe Tomas, who had disappeared for a long while. Other long-ranged weapons like javelins or shurikens always hit their mark.

Castas had run out of stuff for Bruce to learn, except for using firearms. Castas had honored his wish of not using a gun, but he knew that sooner or later a gun would have to be drawn. Castas didn't want Bruce to suffer from his lack of experience, so Castas made the decision to teach him anyway.

Bruce hit the targets in the right place with every shot, and with each shot he knew that he would never use a gun on a criminal. He was something more than that.

Grabbing a Barrett Sniper Rifle from a cabinet, he sat face-down to the floor, and aimed his rifle at a life-size dummy.

BANG! The dummy's head burst as the bullet pierced right through it. Bruce then slowly inched himself towards the direction of another dummy, and blasted that one as well.

Before Bruce could shoot the next dummy, Castas shot it from behind.

"That was my shot," Bruce complained.

"Had to interrupt, I have something to tell you," Castas called.

"What is it?" Bruce asked as he came down from his sniping spot.

"I have nothing to teach you anymore, I've already called Tomas and he agrees as well. You are to proceed to the next stage of your training, learning stealth and ninja skills, to be invisible," Castas replied.

"When's Tomas back?" Bruce asked.

"In an hour, pack your bags, the plane will arrive shortly," Castas said, walking away.

Bruce smirked. Tomas had told him that the weapon training would take at least a year, he was done in three months. Bruce suddenly realized that his training would be over fast, if he picked it up fast. He already knew he hit the target every time, and was already an expert in most weapons, while he would only use a few.

An hour later, Tomas came back and their plane had arrived, instead of the regular Wayne-owned plane, the pilot came back with a rusty old one.

"What's this?" Bruce asked.

"Don't worry about it," the pilot replied. Bruce shrugged and simply stepped into the plane.

* * *

**In the Air...**

As they were about 4 hours into the trip, the plane suddenly shook and the back of the plane went up in flames.

"We've been shot!" the pilot shouted.

"By whom?" Bruce asked.

"Don't bother knowing the details, we've gotta get out of here!" Tomas shouted.

"How?" Bruce replied.

"We jump!" Tomas shouted.

"Skydiving?" Bruce screamed as another small explosion rocked the plane.

"Grab those two backpacks!" Tomas ignored his question. Bruce already knew the answer, and in the backpacks must be parachutes.

"Grab the helmets as well!" Tomas yelled as he put it on his head. Bruce did the same.

Tomas strapped on his backpack, and opened the doors.

"We've got to jump now!" Tomas said.

"Right!" Bruce replied as he strapped on his own backpack.

"Get him out now!" the pilot shouted.

"Let's go!" Tomas shouted as he leaped out of the plane. Bruce stepped out and with his arms and legs stretched, he flew over to Tomas.

Bruce went skydiving once with his parents, and that was about a month before he had "died". He remembered almost crashing to the ground after his parachute failed to open, it opened at the last second and he had a hard landing, dislocating his right leg.

As the master and apprentice dropped down from the sky, the plane exploded, and Bruce veered right to avoid the falling debris.

"What about the pilot!?" Bruce yelled.

"He's fine, he already ejected!" Tomas replied as they both kept trying to avoid falling debris.

"Where are we landing?" Bruce asked.

"Sydney, Australia!" Tomas yelled.

"That's the next training place?" Bruce asked.

"Yes!" Tomas replied.

"Did you guys deliberately blow the plane up?!" Bruce shouted.

"How'd you figure out?" Tomas asked.

"Why would the plane be trashed right where we are supposed to go?" Bruce asked.

"Smart boy," Tomas grumbled.

As the two flew out of the clouds, the surface came into view. The only thing Bruce could recognize was the big concert hall, something he saw in the history books.

"Pull the two strings on your backpack!" Tomas yelled.

"What!?" Bruce yelled.

"Pull the strings!" Tomas yelled louder.

"We're not supposed to yet!" Bruce replied.

"Those aren't chutes!" Tomas yelled as he pulled his own strings, and the backpack flew off Tomas, revealing a folded piece of fabric. Tomas got out a pair of electrical gloves and put it near the fabric, making it form a cape.

Bruce did the same, and realized that the cape was acting as a glider. He remembered that Lucius Fox was working on something called a memory cloth, where by putting an electric current the cape could form different shapes. They were using that very item as a glider.

"This is awesome!" Bruce yelled.

"Follow me!" Tomas called as he turned left. Bruce pursued. They flew past the Concert Hall and past a couple of surprised tourists.

"Look mama! Birds!" a small girl told her mother.

The two kept flying until they reached a tall building. Tomas had told him to land, and they landed unsteadily, but they were safe.

"No doubt the police will be searching the plane for survivors, we've got to get down," Tomas said, they saw an elevator and went down. During the elevator ride, Bruce and Tomas stuffed the memory cloth capes into a backpack. Once they went down, they encountered a large number of people talking at once.

"It's too crowded here," Tomas grumbled as he got out a pistol.

"Wait what are you doing!?" Bruce shouted at him. Tomas pulled the trigger in the air twice, making everyone duck and scream as they both made their way out of the building.

"What was that for?" Bruce asked accusingly.

"We've gotta get to the bunker before the cops-"

"FREEZE!" a gruff voice yelled.

"Oh you get the point!" Tomas shouted.

Six cops rushed into the alleyway the two were in, and pointed their guns at them.

Tomas tapped Bruce's shoulder, and told him to look where he pointed. It was a manhole, the next training place was probably there.

Tomas threw a smoke bomb in the ground, making the cops yell and sneeze as they tried to go through the smoke. Tomas opened the manhole and the two ran in the sewers until they reached a hidden passageway and as they went in, they were moved into a tunnel slide and they went on until they stopped at a door.

"Cops can't find us here," Tomas said.

"Hope so," Bruce replied.

"And we're still wearing helmets, they can't figure out our identities," Tomas replied.

"Evading cops was a bad idea," Bruce replied.

"That's the vigilante life my friend," Tomas smirked.

Bruce knocked on the door, and it just opened.

"Door not closed? What the heck?" Bruce asked. Tomas shrugged and went in. They both walked on until they both felt someone about to attack them from behind.

Tomas took out his sword and blocked his attacker's club.

"Myra," Tomas said as he took off his helmet.

"Tomas, I thought you were a burglar!" Myra shouted.

"No burglar would find the location of this bunker," Tomas replied.

"This the new recruit?" Myra asked.

"I am," Bruce replied.

Myra was a tall lady, standing at about 6 foot 4, and was wearing identical armor to that of Tomas.

"I'm guessing all your friends wear the same armor as you," Bruce remarked.

"We're a secret society," Myra said, slinging the club on her back. The three then walked into a room with the door labeled "Rations".

"Eat up, we're going back into the sewers in ten," Myra said.

* * *

A few months had pasted since Bruce and Tomas settled in Myra's bunker for training. Most of her training courses consisted of acrobatics, knowing the area, and lots of smoke bombs. They were in the sewers for a long while but moved to train in an underground cave.

It was a long time since Bruce was able to actually take a break and settle down from the training. He was walking along the streets of Sydney.

The cops weren't able to identify Tomas or him, and the police chief dropped the case as they were unable to be found.

Bruce wondered if evading cops was going to be a long-term job if he was going to be one of the vigilantes. But he was still young and inexperienced, and worrying about cops would come later.

As Bruce basked in his thoughts, he heard a yelp.

"HELP!" a female yelled as three thugs ran out of a building with bags slung over their shoulders and their faces hidden with hockey masks. The female chased after them but tripped.

Bruce decided to help her and he ran after the thugs. He didn't care what was in the bags but he knew not to damage someone's personal belongings.

Using his new knowledge, he jumped and did a flip above the thugs, stopping them.

"Get out of the way punk!" one thug said as they pulled out knives, one pulled out a machete.

"Stealing isn't the way to get something you want," Bruce growled.

"Imma gut you!" the second thug said, running at Bruce. The punk then raised his knife and prepared to stab Bruce. Bruce rolled away and as he came back up, he grabbed the guy's arm, broke it, and kicked him away as he bumped his head in a dumpster.

The guy with the machete came next and swiped at him a couple of times. He missed on all trys. Bruce kicked the weapon out of his hands and used the hilt of the blade to knock the thug out. The third thug ran straight at him with knife extended but Bruce got out a shuriken and threw it at the guy's shoulder, bringing him down.

"A shame, you got blood on my shuriken," Bruce grumbled sarcastically as he took it out of the guy's shoulder.

"Who are you?" the thug groaned.

"Your reckoning," Bruce said as he grabbed the thug's knife and stabbed his wound, making him squeal. Bruce carried the three bags back to the lady's house as she thanked him.

"Not a problem miss," Bruce said as she went into her home and shut the door tight. Bruce then went back underground and found his way back to the bunker. Tomas approached him.

"How was your little break?" Tomas asked.

"I wouldn't call it a break, some thugs took a woman's belongings and I stopped them," Bruce replied.

"You didn't kill them right?" Tomas asked.

"That would make me no better than those criminals," Bruce grumbled.

"You bloodied your shuriken," Tomas said, noticing the blood on one of Bruce's weapons. Bruce got a towel and wiped it clean.

"Got into his shoulder," Bruce replied.

"A pleasant start for you actually," Tomas replied.

"I beated them quickly and returned her items," Bruce said as he wetted a towel and wiped his shuriken again.

"Good, now get prepared. We're going into the cave in twenty minutes," Tomas said, walking away.

Bruce nodded and looked at his shuriken for a long while, thinking about his actions, but without a word he left it on a table and walked into the caves.

As he was walking in the bunker, another bat hovered above a bookshelf.

"Another sign? This is the second time a bat appeared out of nowhere and into a living space, what the heck?" Bruce thought to himself. The bat then started to fly, and Bruce decided to follow it.

As he managed to catch up with the bat he walked past a strange door and as he stepped in, he realized the bat led him to the other side of the training cave. The bat then joined his group and they started to circle around Bruce as he kept walking.

"Yup, this is another sign," Bruce said to himself.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I must know what you're thinking, this is a Batman story but he hasn't appeared for the first three chapters? Don't worry he'll be here soon!**


End file.
